HIV (the Human Immunodeficiency Virus): when people hear about this, they automatically link it to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and think that it is the same disease. But nope, it is not the same. HIV is a virus that can weakens the human immune system, which when it reaches its final stage of infection can turn into AIDS, a complex illness with a wide range of complications and symptoms that damages the human’s immune system badly. But don’t worry too much: the spread of the HIV virus in the human body can be minimalized with the right treatment, which does prevent HIV progressing into AIDS.

Imagine a person with diabetes: as soon as he knows that he has diabetes, he visit a doctor, the doctor gives him the right treatment and medicines. Maybe he has to consume pills everyday, maybe he has to inject insulin periodically, or maybe he has to mantain his diet- or even do all of this. But one thing is for sure, these treatments are given to keep him as healthy as possible and to live a more or less normal life. It’s the same for a person who is HIV positive, all they have to do is getting the right treatment as soon as possible! The sooner you know you are HIV positive and get treatment, the better for your health. The goal of the treatment is to lower the level of the HIV virus in the blood and to prevent or delay any diseases associated with HIV.

It’s perfectly possible for people who are HIV positive to live a healthy normal life, seropositive women can have healthy babies when they get the right medica treatment during their pregancy and birth and they deserve to be treated like any other person, so that they are not afraid to get tested for HIV in fear of being stigmatized. What makes them different from you or me? People get ill all the time and that’s okay. We all are the same anyway in God’s eye ;-)

Get tested for HIV, know your status and protect yourself and the people you love. That’s the most important lesson to learn!